TETFund denies short-changing foreign scholars, insists on TSAS programme guidelines
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has denied allegations of deliberately denying its stranded scholars abroad of the recently approved bailout approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for them.
A statement issued by the Director, of Public Affairs of the TETFund, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, Monday, the Fund restated its position concerning guidelines on the TSAS programme.
According to TETFund, the TSAS programme under which scholarships are paid by the government stipulate the appropriate channel for addressing scholars’ plights, which is through their home institutions that nominated them in the first instance and not any other platform.
Specifically addressing the case of one Kamal Adewole Saka, a lecturer at Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, who alleged that he was awarded a TETFund scholarship for a PhD in Psychology at Girne American University, Cyprus but is now being accused of embezzling his N10m grant, TETFund disclosed that the student’s full tuition has already been paid directly to the institution since November 3, 2022.
“In the case of Kamal Adewole Saka, he was awarded the scholarship to Girne American University on 11th November 2020 in the total sum of N27,573,350.00.
“His approved tuition fees of Euros 8,872.50 have been paid to Girne American University as of 3rd November 2022, almost two years ago; while his upkeep and other allowances amounting to N23,846,900.00 was disbursed in full to his home institution, Federal University Oye Ekiti in 2020 in line with the extant schedules.
“The tuition fees of Kamal Adewole Saka were paid in two tranches based on invoices sent by the scholar: Euros 5,250 on 11th February 2021 and Euros 3,622.50 on 1st April 2021. However, the scholar notified the Fund in 2022 of non-receipt of the first tranche and after investigations with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the bank notified us that the payment failed. A fresh invoice was requested from Saka and this was used to re-process the payment of Euros 5,250.00,” it said.
Continuing, TETFund maintained that it has evidence of payment and status of the scholar’s account from Girne American University, showing that tuition fees have been fully paid as of 3rd November 2022.
“The Fund has already made a formal report to the Management of Federal University, Oye Ekiti on Kamal Adewole Saka’s inappropriate behaviour and defamatory and libellous publication and has demanded appropriate sanctions, failing which the Fund would not hesitate to seek redress on its own.
The Fund, therefore, assured that while it uphold its guidelines on the TSAS programme which provides for paying scholars’ tuitions through their home institutions which nominated them in the first instance and not any other platform, it will continue to support eligible scholars to pursue their academic programmes.
“While TETFund remains committed to ensuring smooth academic pursuits of its scholars, it is important to restate that TETFund Guidelines on the TSAS programme stipulate the appropriate channel for addressing scholars’ plights, which is through their home institutions that nominated them in the first instance and not any other platform.
“It is also worthy of note that the Fund will continue to support eligible scholars to pursue their academic programmes irrespective of some seemingly deliberate smear campaigns by a handful aimed at distracting us from this onerous endeavour,” it stated.
